Improvement in conductor s punches



C. H. NYE & E. ZAPF.

Conductors Punch.

N0.l5,83, Patentedluly20,1875.

GHARLES H. NYE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND EDWARD ZAFF, 0F ClNClN- NATI, ASSIGNORS TO HENRY NYE, 0F UlNUlNNATl, OHO.

IMPROVEMENT iN CNDUCTRS PUNCHES.

Spcciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. l 65,683, dated July 20, 1875; application filed January 30, i875.

To all whom it may couocrm.

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. NYE, resident oi' the city of New York, N. Y., and EDWARD ZAPF, resident 'of Cincinnati, Ghio, have invented a certain new and useful Automatic Premium Indicator; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of the specification.

The object of our invention is a means whereby pilfering upon the part or street-car conductors or other collectors maybedetected.

Our invention consists ot' an instrument for cutting oii" checks or receipts, successively numbered, or otherwise diiierently marked, for distribution to passengers or others paying such collector.

In the drawings, Figure i. is a perspective view of such instrument with one side of the case removed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detached view of the regulator-wheel with its springpawl.

B represents the shell or case inclosin g the instrument. A is a handlever outside the case, journaled in jaws, which form extensions of the sides of the case. la is a spring, attached, as shown in Fig. 2, to the lever and case, whose object is to raise the lever when the pressure ot' the hand is removed. D and and t' are a pair of rolls for carrying the paper from the coil c to the cutters. like rolls D attached rigidly to the same spindle, with a space between them ior the ratchet F, which is also rigidly attached to the same spindle, or there may be one such roll D, having a circumferential division, within which the ratchet F may be secured. This ratchet is operated by a pawl, f, clearly shown in Fig. 2. This pawl, as shown, is made upon the end oi' a spring-lever, the object of which will be more clearly described hereafter. The adjacent edges or corners of the like rolls D are milled, and roll i has a circumferential projection, intended to press the paper against these milled corners, and thereby prevent slip. The roll 'i is suspended in a box or standard, J, 011e end of which is shown in Fig. 1, the otherend, (not showin) being similar to There are two that shown. kThere are appropriate grooves (not showin) in the two opposite sides of the case, within which, respectively, `he different ends oi' the box J can freely slide. (lne end oi' this boX is secured to its groove by a brace passing` over it, which brace is fixed to the case, on either side of the groove, by screws, Fig. 2, leaving' the bok free to slide underneath it. There isa set-screw, (shown in Fig. 2,) which passes through the case B, by means ot' which the roll t' can be properly adjusted to the rolls D. fr, Fig. 2, is a disk, secured on the screw inside the case, which gives a bearing for the operation of the set-screw, and, as it maybe formed so as to have springpower, will yield sufficiently to compensate Jfor dit ferent thicknesses oi' the paper. c is a link, the upper end of which is pivoted to the lever A, the lower end being hinged to an arm or projection extendingirom the outer tace ci' the knife a, at or about the middle of its length. This mode of suspension ot' the knii'e uv (by the center oi its outer tace) we have i'ound by experiment to be the best adapted to our purpose, as, by it, there is a uniform pressure inward exerted upon the knife, which insures prompt and accurate action of the shearblades. Another advantage resulting from this mode of attachment is that the knife a, which has an edge upon either end, as shown, maybe removed and reversed so as to use either end for the cutting-edge. The knife e slides between two plates, b and d, which act as guides, Fig. 2. The outer of these plates, Z2, has a central longitudinal slot, (not shown,) and the knife a has a screw in its face, the head of which slides in this slot, Fig. 2. The upward limit of' this slot is the limit to the upward inotion ot' the knife, and also of the pawl f, which it prevents from rising from its appropriate place on the ratchet F after the rebound oi' the spring k, thereby avoiding jarring consequent upon the striking oi' the parts, and insurin g an easy and noiseless operation oi" the instrument. There may be two holes in the face oi.' the knife, equidistant from the center, for the above-described screw, which, when it is desired to reverse the knife,may be changed from the one to the other. o is the lower and stationary cutter, Fig. 2, which may be adjusted to the other knife by a slot in the case. Underneath the rolls D, and attached to the same spindle, there is a notched regulating-wheel, E, shown in Fig. 3, and in dotted lines in Fig. 2. This wheel has a pawl, g, that works into its teeth, formed of such material that it has a spring-like action. as well for the purpose of catching into the notches of the regulating-wheel when they are presented to it, as to press uniformly, with a brake-like action, upon the periphery of the wheel E, and t-hereby give regularity to the movement of the instrument, and prevent any recoil of the wheels D, and consequent disarrangemeut of the instrument. The distance between the notches of this wheel E will so correspond with the similar distance between the teeth of the ratchet F that they will each measure the amount of paper to be cut off for one ticket.

r.lhc coil of paper appropriately marked and divided into checks or tickets being placed in the instrument, and its end passed between the rolls D and i, and between the guides shown in Fig. 2, the iustrumentis ready for use.

rlhe conductor, or other collector, takes the instrument in his right hand, thepalm resting upon the lever A, which he presses down. The pawl j' rotates the ratchet F the distance of the length of one tooth. rlhis has passed forward suflicient paper to form one ticket, and has brought the movable knife down into contact with the paper to be cut.

Now, in order to pass the movable knife through the paper, the leverA will have to be pressed yet lower; but, in so doing, as the unfolding devices and the knife are both operated by the same lever, the operation of cutting would feed more paper, which, not havin g free access because of the contact of the cutters would become entangled, and thereby tend to disarrange the machine. This is provided against by the operation of the regulating-wheel E with its pawl g, for at the instant that sucieut paper has been unfolded the pawl g catches into a notch of the wheel E,

which, being rigidly attached to the same 'spindle as the ratchet F, prevents further motion upon the part of the ratchet F while the cutters are severing the paper. The pressure of the lever A upon the pawl fin the meantime causes it to spring from and past the ratchettooth with which it was engaged. Then the pressure of the hand is removed from thelever the spring h raises it so that the pawl f takes a new bite upon the ratchet F, when the instrument is ready for another operation.

le claiml. The combination of the register-wheel E and brake g with the ratchet-wheel F and pawl f, constructed to operate substantially as described, by which the ribbon is fed a certain distance, and then held while the knife is pressed down to sever the strip, as set forth.

2. The combination of the sliding standard J, roll t', provided with a set-screw, and feedrolls D, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. rlhe lever A, in combination with pawlf and link c, whereby the strip is fed forward and the knife reciprocated, substantially as shown and described.

et. rlhe combination of the lever A, link c, slotted plate b, vertically-reciprocating knife a, and stationary cutter o, all arranged to operate substantially as described.

5. The knife a, having its operating lilik connected to it by a lateral projection, whereby pressure on the knife tends to press it up toward the stationary lip or blade, substantially as described.

6. In combination with the feed-rolls D, having their inner edges milled, the roll i, pro vided with a central circuinterential projection, substantially as described.

CHARLES H. NYE. EDWARD ZAPF. Witnesses:

JAMES Moonn, GEORGE J. MURRAY. 

